Cable slack manager system and method

ABSTRACT

A cable slack management system is used in conjunction with a conventional component rack to secure cables of excess length to minimize disturbance, interference, and general clutter that the excess cable length would otherwise cause. In one implementation, the cable slack management system includes a slack management panel that is attached to two opposing vertical members of a rack to extend horizontally between the members as a cross-member of the rack. If more than one cable slack management system is installed in a rack, typically the slack management panels are placed between component panels in some alternating fashion. In an alternative implementation, the slack management panels are vertically oriented, and are typically mounted adjacent to a rack. The cable slack management system also includes one or more cable spools for each slack management panel. The cable spools allow cable to be wrapped around them thereby securing the cable.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of pending U.S. Ser. No.11/337,177, filed Jan. 20, 2006, which claims priority benefit ofprovisional application Ser. No. 60/646,320, filed Jan. 21, 2005. Thecontents of all the above applications are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the field of equipment racks,and more particularly to the field of cable management associated withsuch racks.

2. Description of the Related Art

Racks, frames, cabinets and the like (referred to generally herein as“racks”) support computer and other electronic equipment and doors andpanels (referred to generally herein as “components”). The racks and thecomponents are mutually sized to accommodate placement of the componentswithin the racks. Racks can include vertical members generally spaced aselected standardized distance from one another and cross-membersextending between the vertical members. Both the vertical members andthe cross-members can have attachment points where the components aresecured. These attachment points can include holes to receive bolts,which may be used along with nuts for securing the components.

The racks are typically positioned so that a side of the rack (referredto generally herein as the “backside”) is either against a wall of aroom or against the backside of another rack. The side of a subject rackopposite its backside (referred to generally herein as the “front side”)can provide access to the components supported by the rack since thefront side of the rack generally faces outward into a room away from awall or away from another rack that is adjacent to the subject rack. Thecomponents can include patch panels and equipment face panels extendingbetween the vertical members along the front side of the rack. Thesepanels can have slots and other openings for mounting of patch blocks ofconnectors or other devices or to allow access of control portions ofthe components from the front side of the racks. The panels aregenerally securely fastened to the vertical members of the racks.

The components within the racks are typically connected to othercomponents either in the same rack or another rack or are connected toother devices not in a rack for such purposes as control, communication,and power. These connections are made by cables, cords, or other sortsof wires (referred to generally wherein as “cables”), which aregenerally available in standard lengths. For some applications, manystandard lengths of cable may be available, however, a few selectedlengths may actually be used in the field so that, for instance, thecables can be purchased in mass quantities. For other applications,selection of cable length may be limited. Consequently, cables may beused at times which are longer than needed and the excess cable lengthcan clutter and interfere with operation and maintenance of thecomponents, racks, and other devices in the vicinity of the racks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

FIG. 1 is an isometric diagram illustrating an implementation of a cableslack manager system attached to a conventional component rack.

FIG. 2 is an isometric diagram illustrating the cable slack managersystem of FIG. 1 with one of the cable spools of the cable slack managersystem removed.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, rear fragmentary isometric diagram of a portionof the cable slack manager system of FIG. 1 showing detail regardingmounting of one of the cable spools.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, rear fragmentary isometric diagram of the portionof the cable slack manager system of FIG. 3 showing the mounted cablespool.

FIG. 5 is an isometric diagram of an alternative implementation of thecable slack manager system.

FIG. 6 is an isometric diagram of the alternative implementation of thecable slack manager system of FIG. 5 showing an opposing side.

FIG. 7 is an isometric diagram of the alternative implementation of thecable slack manager system of FIG. 5 connected to a conventional rack.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged, rear fragmentary isometric diagram of a portionof the cable slack manager system of FIG. 5 further showing detailregarding mounting of one of the cable spools.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A cable slack management system according to the present invention isused in conjunction with a conventional component rack to secure cablesof excess length to minimize disturbance, interference, and generalclutter that the excess length would otherwise cause.

In one implementation, the cable slack management system includes aslack management panel that is attached to two opposing vertical membersto extend horizontally between the members. Either the two opposingvertical members are on the front side of the rack or the two opposingmembers are on the backside of the rack, although typically the twomembers are on the front side of the rack. The slack management panel istypically located in the rack so that the slack management panel isbetween two component panels. If more than one cable slack managementsystem is installed in a rack, typically the slack management panels areplaced between component panels in an alternating fashion. In analternative implementation, the slack management panels are verticallyoriented, and are typically mounted to a rack while standing beside therack.

The cable slack management system also includes one or more cable spoolsfor each slack management panel. The cable spools allow cable to bewrapped around them thereby securing the cable. The cable spools aretypically cylindrical but can have another shape with anothercross-section such as an ellipsoid or rectangular cross-section.

Each of the cable spools generally has a longitudinal axis. The cablespool is attached to the slack management panel so that the longitudinalaxis extends substantially away from the rack and the slack managementpanel. The cable spools can be fixedly attached to the panels such as bywelding or removably attached to the panels as further described below.Typically, the slack management panel would have coupling locations forseveral cable spools so that one or more cable spools can be attached tothe slack management panel. In the field, a particular slack managementpanel may have only one cable spool attached or may have any othernumber up to its full capacity of cable spools attached, depending uponsuch factors as the amount of excess cable that must be managed.

A conventional rack 10 having opposing vertical members 12 andhorizontal members 14 extending therebetween is shown in FIG. 1. Thevertical members 12 have threaded holes 16 to receive bolts (not shown)to attach panels and components to the rack 10. A conventional component18 is shown having a front panel 20 with holes 21 for bolting of thecomponent panel to the vertical members 12 via the holes 16 of thevertical members. The conventional component 18 has sockets 22 to whichconventional cables 24 having plugs 26 are connected.

An implementation of a cable slack management system 100 according tothe present invention is shown in FIG. 1 as having a slack managementpanel 102. The slack management panel 102 has holes 103 for bolting ofthe slack management panel to the rack 10 through the holes 16 of thevertical members 12 so that the slack management panel extendshorizontally between the vertical members of the rack. As shown, theslack management panel 102 is attached to the front side of the rack 10adjacent to the component panel 20.

The cable slack management system 100 further includes one or more cablespools 104 (four cable spools are shown) attached to the slackmanagement panel 102. The capacity of the slack management panel 102 tosupport a particular number of the cable spools 104 is dependent uponthe size of the cable spools, the size of the slack management panel,and the desired spacing between the cable spools. Spacing between thecable spools 104 is partially dependent upon the desired length of cablethat each of the cable spools can manage.

The depicted cable spools 104 are cylindrical, each having a rim portion106 at the end of the cable spool spaced away from the slack managementpanel end. The rim portion 106 assists in preventing the cables 24 fromsliding off of the cable spools 104. The cable spools 104 are attachedto the slack management panel 102 so that the cable spools extend awayfrom the slack management panel to provide ready access to the cablespools for wrapping the cables 24 around one or more of the cablespools.

One of the cable spools 104 is shown in FIG. 2 as being removed from theslack management panel 102 to reveal a coupling location 108 on theslack management panel. There is one coupling location 108 on the slackmanagement panel 102 for each one of the cable spools 104 that can bepotentially attached to the slack management panel. In other words, thecapacity of the slack management panel 102 in terms of the number ofcable spools 104 that can be attached to the slack management panel isthe number of the coupling locations 108 on the slack management panel.For instance, in the depicted implementation, the slack management panel102 has four coupling locations 108 and thus has a capacity topotentially have four of the cable spools 104 attached to the slackmanagement panel. Each of the coupling locations 108 have a plurality ofslots 109 (three shown in FIG. 2) to assist in coupling the cable spool104 to the slack management panel 102. Each slot 109 includes areceiving portion 110 and a coupling portion 112. Associated with eachslot 109 is also a hole 114 whose function is described below.

The cable spool 104 is shown in FIG. 3 has having a coupling end 115that is placed adjacent the slack management panel 102 when the cablespool is coupled to the slack management panel. The coupling end 115 hasa plurality of projections 116 positioned and in a number to match theposition and number of slots 109 of one of the coupling locations 108 ofthe slack management panel 102. Each of the projections 116 has aretainment portion 118 and a key portion 120.

To attach the cable spool 104 to the slack management panel 102, thecable spool is aligned with the slack management panel so that theretainment portions 118 of the projections 116 are aligned with thereceiving portions 110 of the slots 109. The cable spool 104 is thenpushed against the slack management panel 102 so that the retainmentportions 118 of the projections 116 go through their respectivereceiving portions 110 of the slots 109. The cable spool 104 is thenrotated into a coupled position shown in FIG. 4 so that the key portions120 of the projections 116 slide into their respective coupling portions112 of the slots 109 and so that the retainment portions 118 of theprojections 116 prevent the cable spool 104 from moving away from theslack management panel 102.

For each of the projections 116, the coupling end 115 of the cable spool104 further includes an engagement member 122. Each engagement member122 has a raised nub portion 124 and a leaf spring portion 126. As thecable spool 104 is fully rotated so that the key portions 120 of theprojections 116 are fully engage in the respective coupling portions 112of the slots 109, the nub portions 124 are centered over theirrespective holes 114 in the coupling end 115 so that the nub portionspartially enter the holes to releasably secure engagement of the cablespool 104 with the slack management panel 102. The leaf springs 126provide a force to maintain the engagement of the nub portions 124 withthe holes 114. The amount of force supplied by the leaf springs 126 istypically sufficient to prevent the cable spools 104 from inadvertentlyrotating and uncoupling from the coupling locations 109, however, theforce supplied by the leaf springs is not so large as to prevent thecable spools from being manually removed from the slack management panel102 when desired.

A vertical implementation of the cable slack management system 130 isshown in FIG. 5 as having a vertical channel 132 with a slack managementpanel 103. The slack management panel 103 of the vertical channel 132has coupling locations 133 configured and positioned so that cablespools 134 with projections 146 of the coupling and 115 thereof (shownin FIG. 8) can be attached on either side of the vertical channel slackmanagement panel as depicted in FIGS. 5 and 6. The slack managementpanel 103 of the vertical channel 132 also can include access holes 136and retaining openings 137 with spears 138 for routing and hanging ofthe cables 24 as shown in FIG. 7. Typically, the vertical channel 132 isattached to the vertical member 12 of the rack 10 also shown in FIG. 7.

In order for the cable spool 134 to be attached to either side of thecoupling location 133 of the slack management panel 103 of the verticalchannel 132, the coupling location has slots 140, each with a receivingportion 142 and a coupling portion 144 as shown in FIG. 8. The couplingportion 144 is positioned and shaped somewhat symmetrically relative tothe receiving portion 142 as compared with the slot 108 having thecoupling portion 112 which are substantially asymmetrically positionedrelative to the receiving portion 110. The coupling end 115 of the cablespool 134 has projections 146, each with a retainment portion 148 and akey portion 150 shaped according to the slot 140 to perform engagementwith the slack management panel 103 of the vertical channel 132 similarto that described for engagement of the cable spool 104 with thehorizontal slack management panel 102 except, as mentioned, the cablespool 134 can engage with either side of the coupling location 133 ofthe vertical channel slack management panel.

It will therefore be readily understood by those persons skilled in theart that the present invention is susceptible of broad utility andapplication. Many embodiments and adaptations of the present inventionother than those herein described, as well as many variations,modifications and equivalent arrangements, will be apparent from orreasonably suggested by the present invention and the foregoingdescription thereof, without departing from the substance or scope ofthe present invention. Accordingly, while the present invention has beendescribed herein in detail in relation to its preferred embodiments, itis to be understood that this disclosure is only illustrative andexemplary of the present invention and is made merely for purposes ofproviding a full and enabling disclosure of the invention. The foregoingdisclosure is not intended or to be construed to limit the presentinvention or otherwise to exclude any such other embodiments,adaptations, variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements, thepresent invention being limited only by the claims appended hereto andthe equivalents thereof.

1. A system for a component rack having opposing spaced apart uprightmembers, a first component and a second component each being coupled toand extending laterally between the upright members, the first componentbeing coupled to the upright members at a location spaced from thesecond component, the system comprising: a panel couplable to at leastone of the upright members at a location adjacent the first componentand the second component, the panel having a plurality of couplinglocations each having a plurality of keyways arranged in a firstcircular pattern and a plurality of nub receiving areas arranged in asecond circular pattern, each of the plurality of keyways having acoupling portion adjacent a receiving portion; and a plurality ofelongated members configured to be coupled to selected ones of theplurality of coupling locations of the panel, each of the plurality ofelongated members comprising a plurality of key portions receivableinside the receiving portions of the plurality of keyways of a selectedcoupling location, when so received, the plurality of key portions beingrotatable from the receiving portions to the coupling portions whereatthe plurality of key portions are operable to couple the elongatedmember to the panel, each of the plurality of elongated members furthercomprising a plurality of nubs receivable inside the plurality of nubreceiving areas of the selected coupling location when the plurality ofkey portions are located inside the coupling portions of the pluralityof keyways of the selected coupling location, each of the plurality ofelongated members being configured to extend away from the panel whencoupled to one of the plurality of coupling locations of the panel. 2.The system of claim 1 wherein the panel has a first side and a secondside facing in a direction opposite the first side, each of theplurality of coupling locations is accessible from both the first sideand the second side, and the plurality of elongated members areconfigured to be coupled to selected ones of the plurality of couplinglocations along either the first side or the second side of the panel.3. The system of claim 2 wherein each of a first portion of theplurality of elongated members are coupled to one of the plurality ofcoupling locations along the first side of the panel, and each of asecond portion of the plurality of elongated members is coupled to oneof the plurality of coupling locations along the second side of thepanel.
 4. The system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality ofelongated members has a cylindrical portion, the cylindrical portionextending away from the panel when the elongated member is coupled toone of the plurality of coupling locations of the panel.
 5. The systemof claim 1, wherein the panel is couplable to the upright membersbetween the first component and the second component to extend laterallybetween the upright members.
 6. The system of claim 1 for use with acable coupled to at least one of the first component and the secondcomponent, wherein the panel further comprises at least one uprightretention member configured to be tethered to the cable by a cable tie.7. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one upright retentionmember comprises an upright spear disposed inside a cutout portion, theupright spear being configured to be tethered to the cable by the cabletie and the cutout portion being configured to receive at least aportion of the cable tie tethered to the spear.
 8. For a component rackhaving opposing vertical members to receive components therebetween, asystem comprising: a panel couplable to at least one of the verticalmembers, the panel having a plurality of coupling locations, eachcoupling location having a plurality of slots arranged in a first circlehaving a circumference within the coupling location, the plurality ofslots being spaced apart from one another along the circumference of thefirst circle, each slot having a receiving portion having a first widthand a coupling portion having a second width, the first width beinggreater than the second width, each of the plurality of couplinglocations of the panel further comprising a plurality of aperturesarranged in a second circle having a circumference, the second circlebeing concentric with the first circle, the plurality of apertures beingspaced apart from one another along the circumference of the secondcircle; and a plurality of cable spools, each cable spool having an end,the end having a surface and a plurality of projections extending fromthe surface and arranged in a third circle, each projection having aretainment portion having a first thickness greater than the secondwidth and smaller than the first width, each projection having a keyportion having a second thickness smaller than the second width, the keyportion being closer to the surface than the retainment portion, foreach coupling location, the surface of each of the plurality of cablespools further comprising a plurality of nubs arranged in a fourthcircle having a circumference, the fourth circle being concentric withthe third circle, the plurality of nubs being spaced apart from oneanother along the circumference of the fourth circle, and for each ofthe plurality of cable spools: the receiving portions of the pluralityof slots being positioned to receive the retainment portions of theplurality of projections of the cable spool, the plurality of nubs beinglocated outside the plurality of apertures when the plurality ofprojections is received inside the retainment portions, after beingreceived inside the retainment portions, the plurality of projectionsbeing rotatable within the plurality of slots to position the keyportions of the plurality of projections inside the coupling portions ofthe plurality of slots and the plurality of nubs inside the plurality ofapertures, the retainment portions of the plurality of projections beingconfigured to prevent disengagement of the cable spool from the panelwhen the key portions are positioned inside the coupling portions, andthe plurality of nubs being configured to resist rotation of the cablespool relative to the panel when the plurality of nubs is positionedinside the plurality of apertures.
 9. The system of claim 8, whereineach of the plurality of spaced apart nubs of each of the plurality ofcable spools comprises a biasing member, the biasing members of theplurality of nubs being configured to urge the plurality of nubs intothe plurality of apertures.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein thesecond circle is inside the first circle.
 11. For a component rackhaving opposing vertical members to receive components therebetween, asystem comprising: a panel couplable to at least one of the verticalmembers, the panel having a plurality of coupling locations, eachcoupling location having a plurality of slots and a plurality of holes;and a plurality of elongated members, each member having an end, the endhaving a surface, a plurality of nubs extending from the surface, and aplurality of projections extending from the surface, each nub sized toat least partially fit into one of the plurality of holes of a selectedone of the plurality of coupling locations of the panel, for each of theplurality of coupling locations, the plurality of slots being configuredto receive the plurality of projections of one of the plurality ofelongated members and allow the elongated member to be rotated withinthe plurality of slots to position the plurality of nubs at leastpartially inside ones of the plurality of holes.
 12. The system of claim11, wherein the surface of each of the plurality of elongated memberscomprises a first portion, the plurality of projections are spaced fromand arranged about the first portion, and the plurality of nubs arespaced from and arranged about the first portion.
 13. The system ofclaim 12, wherein for each of the plurality of elongated members, theplurality of projections are arranged in a first circle having a centerin the first portion, and the plurality of nubs are arranged in a secondcircle concentric with the first circle.
 14. The system of claim 13,wherein the second circle is inside the first circle.
 15. The system ofclaim 11, wherein each of the plurality of elongated members comprises aportion configured to extend away from the panel when the plurality ofprojections of the elongated member are received inside the plurality ofslots of one of the plurality of coupling locations.
 16. The system ofclaim 15, wherein the portion configured to extend away from the panelwhen the plurality of projections of the elongated member are receivedinside the plurality of slots of one of the plurality of couplinglocations has a cylindrical shape.
 17. For a component rack, a systemcomprising: a panel couplable to the rack, the panel having a couplinglocation with a plurality of apertures, and a plurality of slots, eachslot having a receiving portion and an engagement portion; and anelongated member extending from a coupling end along a longitudinalaxis, the coupling end having a central portion, a plurality ofprojections spaced apart from the central portion, and a plurality ofnubs spaced apart from the central portion, each projection shaped,sized, and positioned on the coupling end to be inserted into thereceiving portion of a different one of the slots of the couplinglocation, each of the slots oriented to allow for movement of theprojection inserted therein from the receiving portion to the engagementportion of the slot by a rotational movement of the elongated memberabout the longitudinal axis to couple each of the projections with theengagement portion, thereby coupling the elongated member to the panel,and positioning each of the plurality of nubs of the elongated memberinto engagement with the plurality of apertures of the couplinglocation.
 18. The component rack of claim 17, wherein for each of theplurality of elongated members, each of the plurality of nubs areaffixed to the coupling end of the elongated member by a leaf spring.19. The component rack of claim 17 wherein the elongated member is acylinder.
 20. The component rack of claim 19 wherein the elongatedmember is a cable spool.
 21. A component rack for use with componentseach comprising a cable, the component rack comprising: a frame definingan interior, the frame comprising a first upright member and a secondupright member, the frame being configured to receive components insideits interior that are couplable to the first and second upright members;a panel having a plurality of coupling locations, each coupling locationhaving a plurality of slots, each slot having a receiving portion havinga first width and a coupling portion having a second width, the firstwidth being greater than the second width; and a plurality of members,each member having a cable receiving portion extending away from theend, the cable receiving portion being configured to have a cable of acomponent received inside the interior of the frame wrapped about thecable receiving portion, each of the plurality of members furthercomprising an end having a surface and a plurality of projectionsextending from the surface, each projection having a retainment portionhaving a first thickness greater than the second width and smaller thanthe first width, each projection having a key portion having a secondthickness smaller than the second width, the key portion being closer tothe surface than the retainment portion, for each coupling location, theplurality of slots being positioned to receive the retainment portionsof the projections of one of the plurality of members, after beingreceived inside the retainment portions, the projections of the one ofthe plurality of members being rotatable within the plurality of slotsto position the key portions of the projections inside the couplingportions of the plurality of slots, and the retainment portions of theprojections of the one of the plurality of members being configured toprevent disengagement of the one of the plurality of members from thepanel when the key portions are positioned inside the coupling portions.22. The component rack of claim 21, wherein each of the plurality ofcoupling locations of the panel comprises a plurality of apertures, thesurface of each of the plurality of members comprises a plurality ofnubs, the plurality of nubs are located outside the plurality ofapertures when the plurality of projections are received inside theretainment portions, and for each of the plurality of members, theplurality of projections are rotatable within the plurality of slots toposition the plurality of nubs inside the plurality of apertures, theplurality of nubs being configured to resist rotation of the memberrelative to the panel when the plurality of nubs are positioned insidethe plurality of apertures.
 23. The component rack of claim 22, whereineach of the plurality of spaced apart nubs of each of the plurality ofmembers comprises a biasing member, the biasing members of the pluralityof nubs being configured to urge the plurality of nubs into theplurality of apertures.
 24. The component rack of claim 21, wherein thepanel is coupled to the first and second upright members outside theinterior of the frame.
 25. A component rack comprising: a panel having aplurality of coupling locations; and a plurality of elongated members,each member having a coupling end, each of the coupling locations havingone of a plurality of holes or a plurality of nubs formed therein, eachof the coupling ends having the other of the plurality of holes or theplurality of nubs formed therein, each of the coupling locations furtherhaving one of a plurality of slots or a plurality of projections formedtherein, each of the coupling ends further having the other of theplurality of slots or the plurality of projections formed therein, theplurality of slots being configured to receive the plurality ofprojections and allow the plurality of projections to be rotated withinthe plurality of slots to position the plurality of nubs at leastpartially inside the plurality of holes.
 26. For a component rack, asystem comprising: a panel couplable to the rack, the panel having aplurality of slots, each of the slots having a receiving portion and anengagement portion; and a first elongated member extending from acoupling end along a longitudinal axis, the coupling end having aplurality of projections spaced apart from a central portion of thecoupling end, each of the plurality of projections of the firstelongated member being shaped, sized, and positioned on the coupling endof the first elongated member to be inserted into the receiving portionof a different one of the plurality of slots, each of the slots orientedto allow for movement of the projection inserted therein from thereceiving portion to the engagement portion of the slot by a rotationalmovement of the elongated member about the longitudinal axis to coupleeach of the projections with the engagement portion and thereby couplethe elongated member to the panel, the coupling end of the firstelongated member further having a plurality of nubs spaced apart from acentral portion of the coupling end and the panel having a plurality ofholes, each of the plurality of nubs being sized to engage with one ofthe holes, each of the nubs being positioned on the coupling end of thefirst elongated member to engage with a different one of the pluralityof holes of the panel when the projections are coupled with engagementportions on the panel.
 27. The component rack of claim 26, wherein thepanel has a first side and a second side, the second side being reverseof the first side, the plurality of slots are located on the first sideand the second side of the panel, the plurality of projections of thefirst elongated member are shaped, sized, and positioned on the couplingend to couple the coupling end to the panel on a selected one of thefirst side and the second side by insertion of each projection into adifferent one of the slots and thereby couple the elongated member tothe selected one of the first side and the second side of the panel. 28.The component rack of claim 27, wherein the plurality of slots of thepanel define a first coupling location, and the panel further comprisesa second coupling location with a plurality of slots on the first sideand the second side of the panel, each of the slots having a receivingportion and an engagement portion, the component rack furthercomprising: a second elongated member extending from a coupling endalong a longitudinal axis, the coupling end having a plurality ofprojections spaced apart from a central portion of the coupling end, theplurality of projections of the second elongated member being shaped,sized, and positioned on the coupling end of the second elongated memberto be inserted into the receiving portion of a different one of theplurality of slots of the second coupling location on a selected one ofthe first side and the second side, each of the slots oriented to allowfor movement of the projection inserted therein from the receivingportion to the engagement portion of the slot by a rotational movementof the second elongated member about the longitudinal axis to coupleeach of the projections with the engagement portion and thereby couplethe second elongated member to the panel.
 29. The component rack ofclaim 28, wherein the coupling end of the second elongated memberfurther comprises a plurality of nubs spaced apart from a centralportion of the coupling end, the second coupling location of the panelhas a plurality of holes, each of the plurality of nubs being sized toengage with one of the holes, each of the nubs being positioned on thecoupling end of the second elongated member to engage with a differentone of the plurality of holes of the second coupling location when theplurality of projections of the second elongated member are coupled withthe engagement portions of the plurality of slots of the second couplinglocation of the panel.
 30. The system of claim 26 for use with acomponent rack having spaced apart vertical members to receive acomponent coupled to a cable therebetween, wherein the panel furthercomprises: a cutout portion; and a retention member extending partiallyacross the cutout portion, the retention member being tetherable to thecable by a cable tie.
 31. The system of claim 26 for use with acomponent rack having spaced apart vertical members to receive acomponent having a cable therebetween, wherein the panel has a firstside and a second side facing in a direction opposite the first side,and the system further comprises: a channel adjacent the second side ofthe panel configured to provide a passageway for the cable.
 32. A methodcomprising: coupling a panel having a first side, a second side oppositethe first side, and a plurality of coupling locations to a rack, theplurality of coupling locations being accessible from both the firstside and the second side of the panel, each of the plurality of couplinglocations having a plurality of slots and a plurality of holes, each ofthe slots having a receiving portion and an engagement portion;selecting a first coupling location from the plurality of couplinglocations of the panel; coupling a first elongated member to the firstcoupling location on the first side of the panel, the first elongatedmember extending along a longitudinal axis from a coupling endcomprising a central portion, a plurality of projections spaced apartfrom the central portion, and plurality of nubs spaced apart from thecentral portion, coupling the first elongated member to the firstcoupling location on the first side of the panel further comprisinginserting each of the plurality of projections of the coupling end ofthe first elongated member into the receiving portion of a different oneof the plurality of slots of the first coupling location on the firstside of the panel thereby positioning the plurality of nubs adjacent tothe first side of the panel, and rotating the first elongated memberabout its longitudinal axis to rotate the plurality of projections fromthe receiving portions into the engagement portions of the plurality ofslots of the first coupling location and position each of the pluralityof nubs inside a different one of the plurality of holes of the firstcoupling location; selecting a second coupling location from theplurality of coupling locations of the panel; and coupling a secondelongated member to the second coupling location on the second side ofthe panel, the second elongated member extending along a longitudinalaxis from a coupling end comprising a central portion, a plurality ofprojections spaced apart from the central portion, and plurality of nubsspaced apart from the central portion, coupling the second elongatedmember to the second coupling location on the second side of the panelfurther comprising inserting each of the plurality of projections of thecoupling end of the second elongated member into the receiving portionof a different one of the plurality of slots of the second couplinglocation on the second side of the panel thereby positioning theplurality of nubs adjacent to the second side of the panel, and rotatingthe second elongated member about its longitudinal axis to rotate theplurality of projections from the receiving portions into the engagementportions of the plurality of slots of the second coupling location andpositioning each of the plurality of nubs inside a different one of theplurality of holes of the second coupling location.
 33. The method ofclaim 32, wherein the rack comprises a component having a cable, thepanel comprises a cable retention member, and the method furthercomprises tethering the cable to the cable retention member.
 34. Themethod of claim 33, wherein the cable retention member comprises acutout portion, a spear extending partially across the cutout portion,and tethering the cable to the cable retention member comprises tyingthe cable to the spear with a cable tie.